Civil Disobedience Group 3 Jen Crilly Alexes Morris Julia McNamee Katarina Remolde

Not our job to remove unjust laws as citizens That is the government’s duty It IS our job, at least, to not support such unfair laws though As Henry David Thoreau says: “wash his hands of it” Have nothing to do with the laws

“Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also prison.” Arrested for rebelling against unjust laws Citizens are only opposing what’s not fair Government leaders are unjust Punished for doing what’s right

Metaphors Government functions like a machine Rebellion acts like friction, which causes the machine to slow We must be a counter friction and not help the government run with laws we disapprove of

“If you are cheated out of a single dollar by your neighbor, you do not rest satisfied with knowing you are cheated, or without saying that you are cheated, or even with petitioning him to pay your due; but you take effectual steps at once to obtain the full amount, and see to it that you are never cheated again.” Comparing government to “neighbor” & our rights to “dollar” Need to take effective, powerful steps to have the government fix unjust laws Can’t sit back quietly and do nothing (acquiescence)

Conscience vs. Actions Thoreau’s Example: 1 person refusing to pay taxes is insignificant (they will simply go to jail) 1000 people refusing to pay their taxes will cause a riot and cause the government to take action and make changes “Blood” is being shed from a guilty conscience already Don’t be afraid of being wounded or punished by the government for rebelling

Summary “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” Acquiescence vs. Rebellion We can either follow the laws or disobey them until they are changed Thoreau favors taking action over obedience